


Between Friends

by rowofstars



Series: The Between Verse [4]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: A Monthly Rumbelling, Best Friends, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, Living Together, Mutual Pining, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn with Feelings, Prompt Fic, Smut, Wet Dream, Woman on Top
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2019-03-30 15:09:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13954245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rowofstars/pseuds/rowofstars
Summary: Belle and Gold are best friends who are secretly in love with each other and living together. One night their mutual attraction boils over and finally brings them together.





	Between Friends

**Author's Note:**

> This is just pure smut, I'm not even sorry. For the March prompts at a-monthly-rumbelling: "Best friends to lovers" and "Having a wet dream and calling the other’s name during it." Yes, I did both prompts together and shoved it in my smutty Between Verse. ;) Go me.

There was a soft knock on the door of the study, and Gold looked up, smiling.

“Belle,” he said, turning in his desk chair as she stepped into the room. She crossed the space gracefully, almost like she was floating, her robe fluttering open and trailing behind her like a royal cloak to reveal the lace and silk beneath it. “What are you -?”

His words were cut off by her mouth pressing firmly to his, her tongue sweeping over his lips until he gasped. His hands went to her waist, bunching her nightgown as he opened for her. She shrugged off the robe, moaning as she grabbed at his tie. Her fingers were impatient, her mouth hot and insistent, and his mind spun to catch up with what was happening.

He’d fantasized about this so many times, about making that final leap from friends to lovers, about telling her how much he loved and wanted her. That she could feel the same was too much to consider, an impossibility that he dared not entertain. But here she was, pushing her way into his lap, and pressing her body against his.

“Belle,” he gasped, tearing his mouth from hers to meet her hungry gaze. “Are you -?”

Gold’s words trailed off into a moan as she reached down and palmed his erection. Somehow she’d managed to get his tie off and his shirt unbuttoned, and now she was intent on his trousers. His cock throbbed with every tug on his belt and zipper. He let his hand drift down under the hem of her nightgown as the other curled around the back of her neck and pulled her down for another kiss.

Belle pressed herself closer, straddling his good leg and rutting against him as she worked to free his cock. His fingers skimmed across her skin, dipping lower until they reached the waistband of her panties. He could feel the dampness between her legs, seeping through his trousers and leaving his thigh damp with her arousal. Swallowing around the lump in his throat, he broke the kiss to watch her face as he touched her for the first time. 

She moaned, her head falling back as her hips thrust forward. “ _Please_.”

Pushing passed the thin elastic, Gold finally press his fingers into her, one and then two, drawing out a whimpering gasp. He groaned as he felt her so wet and open and ready for him, his own arousal pressing up between them. His fingers slipped in and out in a slow, steady rhythm as she rocked into his hand. 

Her back arched as he twisted inside her, finding a spot that made her cry out and clench around his fingers. She was close and the pressure of her thigh against his erection and her movements shifting the soft fabric of his boxers along his cock created a maddening friction.

Her mouth opened again, trying to beg him for more, but what came out was a low moan as Gold scraped his teeth across her neck. “Yes, sweetheart,” he cooed. “That’s it. Come for me, my darling Belle.”

He felt it building, the coil of tension in his belly. She cried out, saying his name over and over again as her body grasped at his fingers...

 

 

* * *

 

 

Gold startled awake, gasping for breath as he sat up.

The sheets were pushed down and bunched around his legs, and his pajamas were sticking to the sweat on his skin. His cock was hard and throbbing, and he groaned as he flopped back against the pillows. Images from the dream floated through his mind, disjointed and fleeting, but enough to keep his veins thrumming with unsated arousal.

It wasn’t the first time he’d woken up this way since he’d met and befriended Belle French, but it had been getting steadily worse since she’d moved in with him. When she’d shown up on his doorstep, eyes red and makeup streaked with tears and rain, his heart had nearly broken. Her fiance had cheated on her, and the lease on their apartment was in the bastard’s name. Could she stay here for a little while? Of course she could. 

She could stay forever, if she wanted to.

Gold sighed and pushed himself up and out of bed, casting a glance at the clock on his bedside table. It was just after eleven, which meant he’d barely been asleep an hour. He pulled on his robe and took up his cane, shuffling to the door in the darkness. He made his way down the hall, flatly refusing to look at Belle’s closed bedroom door on his way to the bathroom. 

They’d met when she interviewed with the town council for the librarian position. He’d been tough on her and her lack of experience managing an entire library program, but her enthusiasm and the way she challenged every exception he made against her qualifications made him curious to know more about her. It was some months before they met again, at the library’s grand reopening. He was prepared to be critical of all her plans, to spread his usual discord and then leave, but it all evaporated when she came up to him with a smile that rivaled the sun and took his hand in hers.

She befriended him in spite of the fact that he neither invited nor wanted it. The town monster and the beautiful librarian: it was like something from a fairytale. It didn’t take long for his feelings to grow, the product of too much time alone, he surmised, and for a time he thought he had a chance at something more with her. Then her boyfriend showed up out of the blue, fresh off the bus from Boston with a ring. Though she ultimately didn’t get married, she was his best friend, and now she needed his help getting back on her feet. While he wouldn’t change their wonderful friendship for anything, he regretted they could never be more, even now that her fiance was out of the picture for good.

The night light in the bathroom was enough to see by as he emptied his bladder and splashed some water on his face. The dream had faded for the most part, but vague impressions and feelings still lingered. He leaned on the vanity and stared at his reflection in small yellow glow of the light, his eyes taking careful stock of the imperfections and ravages of time. All he saw was hair that was too gray, lines around his eyes that he swore weren't there yesterday - when yesterday was twenty years ago. 

He sighed and straightened, running his hands over his face before he turned and left the bathroom. On his way back down the hall, he heard a noise and stopped by Belle’s bedroom. He looked at the door, eyes drifting down to the old crystal and brass knob, and swallowed. Something that sounded like a sob drifted through the door, and his eyes went wide. It sounded like Belle was in distress of some kind, and he moved closer, his free hand coming up to touch the wood.

Gold heard her cry out again, and he started to panic. Perhaps she was upset, or needed help, or having a nightmare. He called out to her as loud as he dared. If she was indeed in the throes of a nightmare, he didn’t want to startle her.

“Belle?” he said again, rapping his knuckles on the door. “I’m coming in, sweetheart, okay?”

Hearing no response, he turned the knob slowly and eased the door open.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The door shut with a dull thud as Gold leaned against it. 

Belle stood up and smiled, her bottom lip caught between her teeth as he crossed the room slowly. “You’re here.”

“Of course,” he replied, smiling.

His hands went to her hips as she tipped her head up to kiss him. His fingers threaded in her hair, tilting her head and opening his mouth to deepen the kiss. Her tongue was firm in his mouth, stroking deeply as her hips shifted against his. She ran her hands over his chest and up to his shoulders, arching to press her breasts against him. He turned them and pushed her against the tall dresser, making her gasp as the edge of the wood bit into her back.

His hand slid down over her ass and behind her thigh, lifting her leg up around his hips. She made a needy little noise into his mouth, shifting to try to get closer to him, as his hand tightened in her hair, almost to the point of pain. He bucked into her and she squeaked, breaking the kiss and sucking on his lower lip.

“Please, Rum,” she gasped.

His hands slid down her torso, over her waist and hips to pull her hard against him. She moaned and let her head fall back with a light thump on the dresser as she ground shamelessly against his erection. He ran his hands over her body, cupping her breasts and rubbing her nipples through the thin fabric of her nightgown, shifting the dark blue fabric back and forth over her sensitive skin before pulling it down.

She arched into his touch, whimpering and biting her lip as her skin prickled with goosebumps. Her hands held his head, nails scraping over his scalp as she pulled him closer, guiding his mouth to her breasts. She moaned at the sharp rush of pleasure combined with the delicious friction between her legs.

Tension built in her core, a heat flowing over her body as she strained for release. 

“Belle.”

He said her name, low and breathy in her ear, over and over...

“ _Belle!_ ”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Belle gasped and lurched upward, her eyes blinking open in confusion. 

“Belle?”

 _Gold_.

His voice had been in her dream. Her rather explicit dream. He was saying her name over and over right before...

She looked up at him, her heart still racing and her body thrumming with arousal. He was right there, leaning over her just like in her dream, his face hovering near hers. She could feel his warm breath on her face and the heat of his body. Her eyes met his, searching, and it would be so easy to...

Gold let go of her like he’d been burned and stood up, backing away from the bed. “I - I’m sorry - I -”

She pushed herself upright, rubbing at her head and squinting at the faint light from the hallway. “Rum?”

He turned quickly and took the last few steps to the door, pulling it open before looking back. The moment stretched between them, and it seemed like he was going to say something, but then he was gone.

The door shut behind him with a soft thud and she rubbed her eyes. Something must have made him come into her room, made him think something was -

 _Oh_.

Her face flushed. There was no way he could have heard her unless he’d been outside her door. He’d heard her in the throes of an erotic dream. A dream starring him, her best friend who she was hopelessly in love with. He’d been there, _right there_ , almost in her bed, and -

“Wait,” she called out, scrambling out of bed, pulling the sheet and duvet halfway onto the floor. 

She stumbled out the door into the hall, just as his bedroom door shut, and frowned. For moment there she thought the tension was finally going to break this weird stalemate they’d settled into. When she moved into his house, free of her fiance, she thought maybe this was a chance to rekindle what they’d almost had if she hadn’t been stupid enough to let Gaston waltz back into her life.

It felt like it was now or never, and she blew out a breath, wiggling her toes on the cold wood floor.

“Do the brave thing,” she said to herself, and started down the hall.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Gold sagged against the door for a long moment.

Going into Belle’s room had been a terrible mistake, and going to her bedside even worse. He wasn’t prepared for the look in her eyes when she woke up, or for being that close to her when she did. For a brief moment, he thought there was something there, the same thing that he had been feeling for ages, but that was just wishful thinking.

He shook his head and pushed off the door, leaning heavily on his cane as he moved to the bed. The pajama shirt he was wearing felt dirty and sweaty, so he tossed it in the hamper and took out a fresh t-shirt, tossing it on the end of the bed. He’d need to apologize to Belle in the morning for his intrusion. Perhaps her favorite chocolate chip pancakes would help smooth things over.

A noise drew his attention, and he turned, surprised to see Belle peeking around the slightly open door with a hesitant smile. “Belle,” he said, startled, “I, uh – what are you – ?”

He watched as she moved around the door and into the room, his eyes trailing up and down her form. Her feet were bare and she wore only her blue silk nightgown, the one that had been in his dream, and he swallowed hard. The hem came to mid-thigh, leaving miles of her soft, fair skin visible, and it dipped low enough over her chest that he could see the slope of her breasts. He knew he really shouldn’t be thinking about any of that right now, he should be telling her he was fine and to go back to her room, but she was right there, beautiful, perfect, and taunting him in the worst way.

“I - I thought -,” she started, then stopped and bit her lip. 

Her fingers folded together in front of her torso as she cringed inwardly at her own awkwardness. She’d made a mistake coming into Gold’s room, but when he didn’t answer her knock, she couldn’t help herself. Her sudden flash of bravery had carried her this far, except now she was actually here, and he was awake and - _shirtless_.

Shit.

She was not prepared to see so much of his smooth, lightly tanned skin, and now all the words in her head were completely gone. “I, um, I wanted to - to say goodnight.”

“O-kay?” Gold frowned and moved to stand by the end of the bed, putting a comfortable distance between them. He picked up his shirt with every intention of putting it on, trying to feel a little less exposed. They had already said goodbye earlier in the evening, as they always did, in passing in the hallway before they retired to their separate bedrooms. He looked back at her and gave her a tight smile. “Uh, goodnight.”

She nodded, smiling slightly, but unmoving. He looked away and shook out the shirt in his hand, trying to pretend it was no big deal that she was here, in his room, staring at his bare torso. If he looked at her too long he might, all rumpled and gorgeous with sleep tugging at her eyelids, he might do something they’d both regret.

Belle licked her lips and made herself take a step forward. 

He turned back to her, holding the t-shirt against his body in a sad attempt to cover himself. “Belle?”

They’d been teasing the line since she moved in, but really it had started a long time ago for her, back to when they first met and he said her name in that deep brogue that made her weak in the knees. Sure she was used to his voice now, but she still thought she could get off just listening to him. She’d often wondered if he’d talk to dirty to her.

She moved closer, and Gold’s breath caught, his personal space invaded by the length of her big toe, perfectly polished in a shimmery pink that made him feel impossibly old. Her head tilted up and he wanted to step back and try diffuse this into something that didn’t put him in the role of dirty old man. Before he could move, she pushed up on her toes, her lips pressing to the corner of his mouth. He gasped as her hand slipped over his bare chest, and – _bloody hell_ \- he should have been wearing the t-shirt in his hands instead of standing here in nothing but pajama bottoms.

He could feel the soft warmth of her lips, the smooth caress of her hand, and wished that he could have more of her, that he could taste her for just a second. She pulled back enough look at him, _really_ look at him, with those big blue eyes, so full of life and possibility. He’d seen them a thousand times, over the table at Granny’s, scanning the page of a book as she tucked herself into the corner of the sofa. But there was something new there tonight, something that terrified him as much as it made him hopeful, and that was a dangerous thing.

Belle smiled. He was warm and solid under her hands, lean muscle that hid his true strength and made lesser men underestimate him. Warmth radiated off of him, and there was a tension in his body, like he was barely holding himself back. All the unsaid things between them were right there, and she wondered how she had been so blind before. She’d never cared what people in Storybrooke said about him, always choosing to believe the best in everyone. Her lips parted and curved, her tongue touching the front of her teeth as she rose up on her toes to kiss him again. 

The way her hand curled around the back of his neck, so full of intent, set off every impulse he had to run. He dropped the shirt and let his cane fall against the bed as his hands came up to hold her shoulders.

Belle looked up at him and asked, “What's wrong?”

“You don’t want this,” he said, his face pained, and he pushed just enough to make her move back so he could breathe. He staggered back, feeling unbalanced both from her proximity and from being without his cane.

“Rum,” she whispered, crossing the short distance to his side. He was not getting rid of her that easily, not when she could tell he wanted her as badly as she wanted him. She needed him to look at her, to see what was in her eyes and what she couldn't bring herself to hide anymore, the affection and desire and love.

“Rum, please.”

There was something almost desperate about her voice that threatened to break him. “Belle, I - I can’t.” 

He felt her fingers trail up his arm to his shoulder and the cool brush of silk against his hand where it hung limp at his side. Then she reached up and touched his chin, begging him to turn his gaze to her. He let his eyes fall closed and threw up a silent prayer that this wasn’t just another dream.

“Look at me,” she whispered, cupping his cheek and stroking her thumb across his face until he opened his eyes again. “Do you want me?” she asked, letting her eyes travel over his body from head to foot and back again.

It was such a ludicrous question, Gold almost laughed. She was so very close, close enough that he could feel her breath ghosting over his skin, and a tiny part of his mind screamed that it was the wine talking, but dinner had been hours ago and the look on her face was undeniable. A heartbeat later her lips were on his, and he was turning to pull her into his arms. Her tongue swept over his mouth, seeking entrance, and he couldn't help but oblige. He moaned and felt every wall he’d ever had around his heart crumble as he tasted her, taking his time and mapping every surface of her lovely mouth.

This was it, she thought, sucking his tongue in her mouth and swallowing his moan. This was the moment where Rumford Gold finally gave in, this was him being brave, too. Her heart soared as she pushed gently on his chest, urging him backwards until his legs hit the edge of the bed. He sat with a small grunt, his lips curving beneath hers. She claimed his mouth again, sucking on his bottom lip and nipping at it gently until he let out a low, rumbling sound.

His hand cradled the side of her face as she pulled back, and he shivered at the the way the low light shimmered in her eyes. “Are you? Are you sure?”

Belle’s head tilted to the side as she smiled. Her hands went to her hips, pulling up the hem of her nightgown as she climbed up on the bed and straddled his lap. He shifted back on the mattress, biting back a groan at the sight of the lacy panties she wore beneath it. 

There was a familiar tightening in his groin, and a sudden fear that he was going to embarrass himself like he was seventeen again. There was anticipation too, the desire to have her and this moment for whatever it was, but he didn't want to take advantage of her, even as it seemed like she was the one taking advantage of him. His head tipped back and she kissed him again, her breasts pressing against him as her hips slid over his in a way that left him panting into her mouth.

He tried to stay neutral by resting his hands on her hips, but it only served to remind him of how warm and soft her skin was. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach, and a voice in the far corner of his mind screamed for him to stop this while he still could, before he embarrassed himself and ruined things. He ordered his hands to move, to push her back and tell her this couldn't happen, but instead they slipped under hem of her nightie to touch the willowy skin of her abdomen.

She pulled back as his fingertips traveled up her torso, skimming over the silk. A gasp left her lips when his knuckles brush the underside of her breasts, and – _god_ her body was burning and aching and shuddering all at once.

Abruptly, she slid off his lap, and he shut his eyes, terrified she was leaving, gathering up her clothes and running away. He wouldn't blame her and was ready to mark this down as yet another depressing moment in his life when he felt the light brush of silk raise goosebumps on his arm. 

Gold’s eyes snapped open as Belle dropped the nightgown to the side and followed it by pushing her knickers down her slim legs. Her lips were swollen and red from kissing, her body shadowed by the low, warm glow of the single lamp. She lifted her hair and let it fall over her shoulders as she stepped between his legs. Between the pounding in his chest and the aching in his pants, he was convinced this was it. He was going to die in his bedroom with a hard-on for his best friend, and right now that was about the best way to go he could imagine.

Then she dropped to her knees.

“Belle -”

He didn't get out any more than that as her warm hands found their way to the waistband of his pajamas. His eyes went wide when she tugged on the elastic, making him lift his hips so she could slide them down and off. He wanted to say something, some lame apology for being old and tired and half the man she deserved, but the words died in his throat as she wrapped her hand around him.

“Rum,” she said, her eyebrows lifting as she started to stroke along his length.

He groaned, her hot breath whispering over his cock, and he knew what she was thinking. While he wanted it – _oh_ did he want it – he also knew that he wouldn’t last a minute in her sweet mouth.

 

“Please,” he said, desperately. “Belle, stop.”

She looked up at him, her fingers trailing up and down his throbbing shaft. “What do you want, Rum?”

He looked down and saw her looking back, eyes impossibly dark and wild, and reached for her hand, pulling it away from his lap. Her eyes darted to his cock as it bobbed against his stomach, intimate muscles clenching around nothing but an empty, burning ache.

“Fuck,” he breathed, his head lolling back, and he could hear her low, amused giggle. “You, sweetheart. Just you.”

She stood and gave him a cheeky grin as she threaded their fingers together and brought his hand to her mouth for a soft kiss. He pulled her against him and kissed her roughly, unable to restrain himself any longer. She gave as good as she got, her tongue pushing hard against his, and moaned into his mouth.

He broke away and nipped at her neck, his wet lips trailing down to lick at her collarbone, delighting in the naughty sounds she made. Her fingers threaded in his hair as he moved to her breasts, sucking hard on one nipple while he rolled the other between his fingers. He moved from one breast to the other and back again, feeling her buck and writhe and grab at him, begging him with every inch of her body. He couldn’t believe how responsive she was, how much she seemed to enjoy everything he did to her. Every sound she made was music to his ears, though he decided the whimpering gasp when he sucked hard and pressed her taut nipple against his teeth was his favorite.

“God, Rum,” she gasped, nails digging into his scalp as she pulled him away from her chest, and was his turn to laugh. Her nipples throbbed, and the pale skin of her breasts was marked from his mouth. Strangely, it made her feel beautiful, desired, and she smiled down at him, leaning in for another kiss.

She pushed on his chest until he laid back and then moved up the bed. She followed him, crawling up his body to settle on his thighs, her eyes never leaving his. There was nothing between them, and he could feel the wet heat of her where she pressed against his cock. Her head fell forward, hair tumbling around her shoulders as she bent over him.

“Belle, are you sure?” he asked. He took a deep breath, trying to regain some control over his body in case she wasn’t as sure as she seemed. “You really want – _me?_ ”

She smiled and shook her head. “Yes, Rum, I want this,” she replied, emphasizing her point by grinding against him, rubbing her wet slit up and down his erection. “I want _you_.”

 

Then she took him in hand, guiding him between her slick folds and letting the blunt head of his cock rub over her clit. She sank down on him slowly, letting him watch as his cock slipped inside her. He made a long, low sound, ending in a gasp, and she braced her hands on his chest. He felt so long and hard, filling her in all the right ways as her muscles stretched. She held herself off a little, dragging out that last glorious inch until finally he was buried inside her, and her body trembled with the sensation.

Her body shook, her eyelids fluttering as he pressed deep. There were tears at the corners of her eyes when she looked at him, and he reached up to touch her cheek, brushing at the faint drops with his thumb. She was so wet, so hot, so tight, and swore he was going to come before she even started moving, but then she was, up and down and rotating her hips in the most sinful way. It should have been some kind of crime for him to have her this way, but who could have imagined the beast of Storybrooke and the sweet, young librarian finding their way into each other’s arms in the middle of the night.

Belle started to rock, slow and steady, the slick slide and friction driving them both mad. She was aware of everything from the softness of the sheets under her knees to the way he gripped her waist and guided her movements. Nothing, no one, had ever felt this good, this complete. The restlessness inside her that had always made her long to travel the world was stilled; this, right here, was where she was meant to be.

He thrust his hips up, trying to meet her halfway, desperate to make her come, to make this good for her before his heart burst in his chest. She rode him harder and faster, moaning and panting unintelligible words in between the little gasps and squeaks that kept slipping out. Being inside of her was almost too pleasurable to bear, and he wished they hadn’t fallen into this so fast. In another life, he might have been less of a coward, he might have told her how he really felt and then he could have taken his time and drawn out the wonder of having her this way.

Belle keened and bit her lip. She was close, so close and so ready, but she needed just a little bit more to push her over the edge. She leaned back and pulled his hand from her hip up to her breasts until he tugged and pinched her nipple. She babbled about how good it was, how amazing he felt, how she’d wanted this so fucking much. Every nerve was on fire, every inch of her wanting to come so badly, and then he said her name. He said it over and over, mixing with whispered expletives, melting in her ears like poetry; low and deep, rumbling through her as her body screamed and light exploded behind her eyelids.

He fumbled over her clit, pressing his thumb against it and rubbing in small circles, as he prayed to whatever god might still exist to just give him this one last thing. He tried to breathe, tried to hold out long enough, but he couldn't. As he let go, he heard her gasp his name, felt her clench around him, coming with him and for him, and he cried out in bliss.

She slumped over him, panting as her body shook with the intensity of her orgasm. He moved gently against her, thrusting into her and drawing out the pleasure for both of them until they were slick and sticky. There were words on the tip of her tongue, but she bit them back, afraid to ruin the moment by pushing her feelings onto him.

There was no going back after this, not for him. He wouldn’t be able to share his home with her, to see her through the window of the library, or look at her across a booth at Granny’s with burgers and a shared platter of fries between them without thinking about the way her hair stuck to the sweat on her forehead or the way her breasts bounced as she fucked him. That’s what this was after all, fucking and wanting and lusting, the breaking of every rule he thought he had for the pleasure of her body and the aching pain in his chest.

“I love you,” Gold whispered.

It was so soft she almost didn’t hear it.

Belle sat up and blinked, looking down at her best friend, her - her _lover_ , and smiled slowly.

His mouth opened and his eyes went wide. He’d said the words out loud not in his head.

“Oh...” he breathed. “I - I -”

She cut him off with a soft, but insistent kiss, her hands framing his face. “Yes, and I love you too.”

Somehow he smiled and frowned at the same time. “You do?” 

She nodded, her bottom lip caught in her teeth as it curved. He pulled her down for kiss, still a bit bewildered like when he’d woken up from his dream, but this time the dream wasn’t ending, it was just beginning.


End file.
